Rise and Fall of Arela

Session 23 Recap

The Best Laid Plans...

24

FEB/17

We rejoined our stout party sitting outside a shattered section of ancient causeway as they dithered over how to avoid painful death. All manner of schemes, plots, and machinations were considered, rejected, reconsidered, ejected, unconsidered, abjected, re-reconsidered, until finally the party was tired and decided to have Dreal drop a bunch of rocks on the skeletons and then go to bed.

Artas, being the ever helpful party member but lacking the senses to be useful, told the group to wake him up if anything tried to kill them. Polycarp, while often less helpful but always more perceptive, stood watch. Not long into the night a number of ghoul wolves, responding the racket of a small avalanche in the causeway found their way into the party’s camp. Not having slept a full night, Ignomine was more than happy to unload the remainder of his holy power onto these poor wolves, who clearly had no idea with whom they were fucking. Polycarp turned the wolves into veritabe pin cushions, while Ignomine landed bowel shaking critical hits rendering at least one wolf into a fine powder. Luckily, for the party Artas was able to shake himself awake and lumber into battle just in time for some kill-stealing douchebaggery. And with that the party returned to slumber.

The next morning, the party continued to hone their plan to razor sharp precision. Everyone had a role to play and everyone knew their role inside and out. The party had considered every outcome and developed contingencies for eventuality. They were ready and stepped confidently into the corridor.

…And everything went to shit. Ignomine and Artas clanged and rattled their way through the rubble alerting every unliving thing of their presence. Ignomine was immediately greeted with the pitter-patter of arrows as they bounced off his armor. Drael, with a strong desire not to get shot with arrows, asked Vyktor if he had Fireball prepared. Vyktor scoffed and then chuckled in that way that only Wizards about to cast fireball can chuckled at which point a dozen or so skeletons disappeared in a blaze of fire and light.

Artas and Ignomine began trudging their way up through the causeway until they were accosted the creepiest collection of junk either had ever seen. Was it carrying a doll? Is there an undead orphanage down here? Unfortunately, Ignomine could not answer that question as the creature quickly sucked the breath right out of him. The two mountains of muscles and metal commenced frantically beating the ever loving snot out of this scary child monster.

Spying two other creepy child monsters, Artas and Ignomine split up to help dispatch them. Artas and Polycarp pushed forward only to be met with a veritable horde of horrors. Five more ghoul wolves and two Minotaur wandered into the fight and there were sounds of heavy armor and air support coming as well.

Honestly, I don’t remember what happened to the Minotaur. I think there was a bathroom break and then when I came back the Minotaur were gone. I assume Polycarp brought the pain like he always does. I think at least one of them survived into the Graveknight fight, but I don’t recall.

Now up to this point, Drael had been invisible and spider-climbing his way along the ceiling summoning various things to aide in combat. Trying to be clever, Drael whips up an invisible air mephit with the hopes of sending it down to pick up their bauble so that they can bugger out. The one flaw in this plan was that whatever creature(s) that were farther down the hall seemed to see right through the invisibility and made short work of the mephit.

At this point, the heavy armor arrives in the form of two Graveknights. Well apparently, one of Draels Lantern Archons slept with the Graveknights sisters or something as he immediately blasted it with unholy acidic power. The other Graveknight, in classic “come at me bro” fashion, unloaded on Artas cleaving dozens of hit points from him. Artas looked down at his bleeding wounds with a “Tis but a scratch,” but deep down he knows that he’s in trouble.

Ignomine quickly took up arms against the first Graveknight, bringing more of his patented holy wrath, but the Graveknight had his number and quickly reduced his hp to sphincter frighteningly low values. Overcoming his BFG Anxiety, Artas unloads his Grasp of the Dead on the Graveknights, wolves, and straggling Minotaurs, in the hopes that he might cull the herd and turn things back in their favor. At this point, things are getting a little scary.

And thats when the Vord Knights show up. At this point Vyktor is done fucking around, no longer content to just throw out massive heal bombs, he whips out his massive black tentacles on the sorry SOBs. While their enemies are held by the Tentacles and the Skeletal Arm, Artas and Ignomineuse the distraction as to do a little self healing. Unfortunately, one of the Vord Knights is still running amok and starts charging the two guys with bows, who have been having a rough time penetrating the tough exterior of these armored foes. Polycarp and Godfrey made a speedy retreat, with Polycarp hoping to gain a sneaky advantage behind a conveniently placed pillar.

With nothing in front of him, one of the Vord Knights turns around to find another Void Knight struggling against a Graveknight. The Vord Knight happily renders aide to his embattled comrade. Artas watches in stunned silence as his two enemies pound on each other. Apparently, the Vord think that Artas is also a Vord, how convenient. Artas tries to back away slowly and let Polycarp plink the Vord in the back with Arrows.

I’m a little fuzzy as to what happened after this, mostly because I wasn’t there, but I can only assume that Artas struck the final mighty blow and the Vord Knight exploded pinata fashion and rained copious loot upon the party. To save the GM the hassle I will use my best judgment to decide the appropriate loot that Artas received.